Marquette Golden Eagles
2015-2016 Overall Rank: #46
Conference Rank: #5 Big East
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Coming off of a dismal season and with three starters gone, it would be easy to write off Marquette this year. The Golden Eagles started off the season decently enough, but they absolutely fell apart down the stretch. The team went 4-14 in Big East play and had a stretch of games from mid-January to early March where they lost 12 of 13 games. Coach Steve Wojciechowski did get a win against DePaul in the regular season finale and beat Seton Hall in the first round of the Big East Tournament. So they have some momentum heading into the 2015-2016 season.
2014-15 Record: 13-19, 4-14
2014-15 Postseason: none
Coach: Steve Wojciechowski
Coach Record: 13-19 at Marquette, 13-19 overall
Who’s Out:
Marquette loses a trio of starters in Matt Carlino, Derrick Wilson and Juan Anderson. Carlino was the team’s top scorer, averaging 15.0 points per game. He knocked down 83 three-pointers at a 41.9 percent clip. He also dished out 3.1 assists. Wilson was the team’s pure point guard. He averaged 4.7 assists per game and was a great distributor, even though there was never much scoring in his arsenal. Anderson was a tough forward who averaged 8.3 points and 5.7 rebounds. Steve Taylor, Jr. was a part-time starter and, much like Anderson, was a tough interior player.
Who’s In:
Coach Wojciechowski is bringing in talent and his type of players and that is why we can expect a pretty big turnaround this year. The most notable newcomer is power forward Henry Ellenson. He was a huge coup for Marquette and could pave the way for some big time recruiting in the future. The 6-10 forward can step outside and knock down shots and battle in the paint. He is the complete package and will step right into the starting power forward spot. Ellenson will also join his brother Wally on the team, who transfers in from Minnesota. Frontcourt depth will be added by incoming freshman Matt Heldt. There are five incoming freshmen on the perimeter. Christian Haffner and Cam Marotta will not see much action, but Sacar Anim, Haanif Cheatham and Traci Carter will compete for major minutes. Anim is a tough defender and will be effective on the glass for a 6-5 guard. Cheatham is 6-5 too, but he is more of a big combo guard than a wing. Expect Cheatham to find a significant role from day one. Carter could turn into the second most important freshman on the team behind Ellenson. With the point guard spot up for grabs, Carter will be right in the mix. He needs to learn to play under control though.
Who to Watch:
If Carter is not running the show, Duane Wilson will be. The 6-2 sophomore averaged 2.1 assists per game last season, but he is better suited to play off the ball where he can concentrate on his shooting. Wilson averaged 11.9 points per game as a freshman and he could be in for a huge year if he does not have to worry about running the point all of the time. Jajuan Johnson is the most experienced swingman on the team after averaging 7.3 points as a sophomore. The newcomers will certainly push him for minutes though, especially if his outside shooting does not improve. Sandy Cohen has a nice shooting touch and could earn minutes at the small forward spot as well. Luke Fischer, a 6-11 center, is the best of the retuning players. Last year he was eligible after the first semester after transferring in from Indiana. Once he was eligible, Fischer was constantly double teamed because he was the only guy on the team over 6-7. Despite all of that attention, Fisher averaged 11.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. Now that Ellenson will be by his side, the Marquette frontcourt will be extremely tough to stop.
Final Projection:
This is a big year for Marquette. After falling apart last season, the Golden Eagles need to prove that when they have good players, they can win. Surely the lack of experience will be an issue at times, but this is a team that can compete in the Big East. And by February and March, this should be one of the more dangerous teams in the conference if all goes as planned. As long as Marquette can get off to a decent start, they will head into March with a shot at making the NCAA Tournament.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
Projected Starting Five:
Traci Carter, Freshman, Guard, DNP last season
Duane Wilson, Sophomore, Guard, 11.9 points per game
Jajuan Johnson, Junior, Guard, 7.3 points per game
Henry Ellenson, Freshman, Forward, DNP last season
Luke Fischer, Junior, Center, 11.0 points per game
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 65.1 (229th in nation, 10th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 67.0 (180, 6)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.7 (159, 6)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.6 (160, 6)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.5 (162, 5)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 34.4 (169, 9)
Free-Throw Percentage: 43.7 (159, 6)
Rebound Margin: -4.6 (321, 9)
Assists Per Game: 15.0 (35, 3)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.6 (178, 8)
Madness 2016 NBA Draft Rankings:
#20 Henry Ellenson
Madness 2015 Men’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#9 Henry Ellenson
#78 Haanif Cheatham
#120 Matt Heldt
#124 Traci Carter
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